The Internet is ever-expanding and could be called a continuum which is engulfing more information and thus providing more of it at an ever-increasing pace. The amount and nature of the information available on the Internet is a threat to each who is on it and using it. There have been any number of cyber crimes, some of which have had massive scale, and this must be reason enough for you to judiciously measure the level of security that you are using to safeguard your computer, its data and all that valuable information that you exchange daily via the Internet. Your digital companion might fail if you do not act right now. But why the hurry?

It has been highlighted repeatedly and in more than one way that the browsers and applications we are running are all artificial and, hence, have critical bugs. These can be hacked into, and all that was “safe” suddenly becomes vulnerable to cyber-attacks. No software cannot be compromised by someone who intends to do so. People with malicious intentions have built up something called exploit kits. These kits are programs you might accidentally land on, which takes away your security. It might appear to you as a simple web page, and once you click on it, your PC becomes compromised, and your system is now readily available to hackers to commit any of your resources.

What is most vulnerable?

In the past few months, research has shown that a few documents or data types are more threatened than others. Let us see what are these:

• PowerPoint docs: Around October 2014, it was highlighted that a malicious PowerPoint document, which comes as an attachment to a spam email, can put your system at risk. Remote hackers control your system and can even escalate to becoming an admin.
• Malicious codes: Sometimes, an unknown code might run on your system, which might cause a buffer overflow, which might develop into a security threat.
• A malicious Word doc: Sometimes, if you open a malicious Word document that came to you as an attachment in a spam mail, it just might be what the bad guy wants you to do as it gives him access to the memory of your device and he might exploit it, just a way he wants.

How do we avoid the vulnerabilities?

This sounds horrifying. Realizing that there are any number of notorious hackers out there just waiting for you to click one wrong button can be disturbing. But the good news is that you can avoid getting stuck in such a situation and getting your system compromised. Let us see how:

• When you are installing an add-on or a new app, think twice. Be very specific about why you need it and if you need it. Because each new app you install is a potential hole in system security, use only those add-ons and apps you cannot do without. Also, be careful which checkbox you check and which you leave out while installing.
• Be very careful while sharing information via the Internet. You never know whom it might end up with.
• Invest in a good security solution, and you will sleep well.
• Never go lazy when it comes to updating software. It is for your good. Outdated versions are always more susceptible to attacks than the updated ones.
• Your passwords need to be changed occasionally, and please make them as strong as possible—also, security experts advise having different passwords for different applications and programs.

Keeping these factors in mind will keep your system and data far from being exploited. Stay safe!